Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City, still widely called Saigon, is Vietnam’s largest city and its commercial engine, a place where French colonial buildings, glass towers and street-food stalls sit side by side. The historic core holds most of the sights: the Independence Palace, the Central Post Office, the Opera House and Ben Thanh Market, with the War Remnants Museum a short walk away. The Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica has been under restoration since 2017, so expect scaffolding for a while yet. For food, Lonely Planet points to the markets and noodle shops of Cholon, the city’s historic Chinatown. The Cu Chi Tunnels and the Mekong Delta are both popular day trips.

The city is warm all year, so the choice is mostly between dry and wet. The dry season, roughly December to April, is the most popular time to visit, with December to February the most comfortable and March and April the hottest, according to Vietnam Airlines. The rainy season runs from about May to November, with frequent but often short afternoon downpours. Tet, the Lunar New Year in January or February, brings festivities but also closures.

Getting around is easier than the traffic suggests. The city’s first metro line, opened in December 2024, runs from Ben Thanh Market past the Opera House and out to Thao Dien. For everything else, most visitors use Grab, the ride-hailing app, for cars and for motorbike taxis, which slip through traffic and are the most local way to get around. The airport is close to the center, about 7 to 8km away, so a Grab car or taxi is the easiest transfer.